Inside the Majors » MLB

Not So Royally Screwed

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:58:47 +0000

With the announcement of the latest location for Major League Baseball’s Mid-summer Classic, a lot of the country’s bigger cities and historic stadiums are openly questioning the commissioner’s decision. The 2012 All-Star Game will be played in Kansas City, Missouri, home of the one of the league’s most consistent teams. Year in and year out the Royal’s are among the most predictable teams in baseball, setting the City of Fountains abuzz with a few mid-level acquisitions before tanking to the bottom of the AL Central a few weeks into the season.Red Sox fans, among the most outspoken fans on any subject, are perhaps the most up in arms about the MLB’s decision. The 2012 season will mark the 100^th anniversary of Fenway Park, among the oldest and most fabled venues in baseball history. Though the Red Sox were the hosts of the 1999 All-Star Game, the Fenway faithful feel they deserve another. Of course, with the recent success of the Red Sox, not to mention the Celtics and Patriots, spoiled Boston residents are starting to feel a like they’re entitled to everything these days.Disappointed fans should take a page out of Armando Galarraga’s book; keep your mouth shut and take the high road. Even if you’re a little upset Fenway Park won’t host their second All-Star game in just over a decade, but don’t ruin this for the poor folks down in KC. It’s not like fathers and sons have had a lot of great baseball memories in Kauffmann Stadium over the years. You had Nomar Garciappara, they had Mark Grudzielanek, for your Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez, they were left with Darrell May and Jimmy Gobble. Boston has had its moments; for a team that went decades without a title to their name, you would think they know what it’s like to be down at out. Let Royals fans have their mid-summer day in the sun, they’ve been stuck in the cold, dark cellar for long enough.

Strasburg: Instant Superstar or Scherzer Sequel?

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:17:11 +0000

Ninety-four pitches is all it took for Stephen Strasburg to turn in one of the most high pressure pitching debuts in the history of Major League Baseball. Strasburg missed Pittsburgh bats left and right fanning 14 batters in just 7 innings on his way to his first career win. Even more impressive, he seemed to heat up as the game carried on, striking out the last 6 batters he faced. Perhaps equally encouraging for Washington fans, and almost unheard of for a first time pitcher, was the zero walks issued by Strasburg. A lone 2 run homer by Delwyn Young was the lone blemish on what would’ve been a clean sheet, but the young fellow responded with the poise of veteran, retiring the next 10 players to step to the plate.So, now a few weeks into his career, how great was his opening act and how bright is Strasburg’s future? The performance in and of itself was no less than legendary, but those calling for a Cooperstown career shouldn’t be so certain just yet. Not to take away from Strasburg or discredit what was an outing that will go down in baseball history, but he isn’t the first young pitcher to burst onto the scene with an awe-inspiring introductory game. In 2008, former 11^th overall pick Max Scherzer made his major league debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks while on the road against the Houston Astros. Coming out of the bullpen, Scherzer pitched a perfect 4 and 1/3 innings without allowing a hit or walk. At one point, he retired 13 consecutive hitters (still the high mark for a debut game) on his way to racking up 7 Ks. Starting out as a reliever, Scherzer was no doubt under less scrutiny than Strasburg, but the on-field portion of his performance stands up to that of the celebrated rookie sensation. For the record, now in his 3^rd year of service, Max Scherzer currently has a less than stellar 12-21 career record with a 4.37 ERA. This season his ERA has ballooned to 6.14 on the way to a 3-6 start. Not to say the fire-baller won’t be one of the better pitchers in the league one day (already boasting his own 14 K game last month), but so far Scherzer has learned it’s a long road to stardom.Scouts have hyped the National’s new guy as arguably the greatest pitching prospect of all time. Analysts across the airwaves are singing his praises, and rightfully so, but bear in mind we are still only 2 games into what will hopefully be a long major league career. When he takes the mound Friday, let Strasburg continue to earn his big league reputation, pitch by pitch, before listing among the all-time greats.

Hope in Washington

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:01:31 +0000

Amidoil spills, natural disasters and turmoil abroad, we are quickly approaching a day in our nation’s capital when the eyes and attention of both left and right leaning voters will lie on the right arm of a 21-year-old kid. Stephen Strasburg is no prophet with answers to the world’s most pressing issues, but is viewed by many scouts and GM’s as a baseball messiah of sorts, sent from his heavenly hometown of sunny San Diego to resurrect a Washington Nationals team that has been mostly lifeless since their days of exile in Montreal. Strasburg has flown through the Nationals minor league system with a speed that usually eludes D.C.’s decision makers, making only brief pit stops in Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse before getting the called to the show. To the surprise of few and excitement of many in Washington, Strasburg was barely touched by lower league hitters, finishing his minor league career with an impressive 7-2 record , 1.30 ERA and miniscule .80 WHIP. He added 65 strikeouts to his stat sheet in only 55 and 1/3 innings of work.While Strasburg was seemingly anointed as the best player in the draft class, prior to last year’s MLB Entry Draft, he will still face an uphill battle to take home the league’s Rookie of the Year award. Working with a 2 and a half month advantage, incumbent candidate Mike Leake, right hander for the Cincinnati Reds is off to a stellar start in the majors with a 5-0 record and 2.22 ERA. Even were Strasburg to come out and live up the enormous billing he has had thus far, such numbers are simply hard to come by for a first year player. Leake, though less heralded as a cant miss prospect in preseason hype, was taken just 7 spots behind Strasburg in last year’s draft at 8^th overall, so his early season success should come as no surprise.

Braves Back on Top

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:46:37 +0000

In what has been announced to be Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox’s last season in the dugout, the Atlanta Braves are certainly taking their longtime manager on a roller coaster ride through the standings. Once dead and lifeless at the bottom of the NL East cellar, including a hitless outing against Rockies’ flame thrower Ubaldo Jimenez, the Braves have surged to a 2 game lead over the second place Philadelphia Phillies, including a 3 game sweep of the Phillies earlier this month. In a city where the Braves’ winning ways were once customary, this revival atop the standings stands in stark contrast to recent seasons. From 1991 to 2005, with the exception of the players’ strike in the 1994 season, the Braves won an unprecedented 14 straight pennants, with a lone World Series title in 1995. Since the 2005 season, the Braves have been sitting at home come October watching the playoffs from the other side of the television screen.This season is seen as a changing of the guard for the Atlanta Braves team as rookie sensation Jason Heyward, along with second year pitchers Tommy Hanson and Kris Medlen, comprise the young core of team that is suddenly bringing a lot of hope and optimism to fans in the Atlanta area. The return of another young arm, Jair Jurrjens, who has missed the majority of the regular season nursing a strained left hamstring, rounds out a top of the rotation that draws comparisons to the Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz trio that led the Braves to repeated success throughout the 90′s. As the recent winning trend has hit a hiccup on the road in L.A., we are reminded that this still has many weaknesses it will need to improve to stretch its season to October in a very competitive division. While they sport an otherworldly 19-6 record at home in the Ted, the Braves have struggled on the road, as many young teams do, posting a 14-18 mark.

The Demise of Grady Sizemore

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:35:22 +0000

The best young outfielder in baseball, a threat both in the batter’s box and on the base paths, nicknamed “Superman” by Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, all of this describes Grady Sizemore in 2008. So why then is a player so talented now being disregarded as an afterthought both in real life and fantasy baseball circles. It was announced on Thursday that Sizemore will miss the rest of the 2010 season as a result of season-ending knee surgery. This is just the sad end to an injury riddled downward spiral that has consumed the past year and half of Sizemore’s playing career. Sizemore’s initial struggles can be traced back to 2009 spring training before the World Baseball Classic during which he came up limp with a bum left groin. After what, by his standards, amounted to a very sluggish 2009 season (.246 AVG 18 HR’s 13 SB’s down from .268 AVG 33 HR’s and 38 SB’s), Sizemore opted for surgery in late September to repair a both hernia and left elbow issues that plagued him throughout the year, in hopes of being ready for the 2010 season. Through the 2 months Sizemore was available this year, his old form largely eluded him as he batted a measly .211 with only 4 steals and not a single home run. He will have the rest of this season and the off-season with nothing to do but ponder his playing future, but one can’t help but wonder, will Grady Sizemore ever be the same?Recently retired legend, Ken Griffey Jr. was once thought by many fans and analysts to be the future Home Run King and arguably the greatest of all time. ‘The Kid,’ as he was known in his younger years was a lock for a 40 homers no matter what, year in and year out, until the injury bug struck during his second year in Cincinnati. Griffey went on to have season ending surgery in consecutive years from 2002-2004, and though most certainly a future hall of famer, was never quite the same. Sizemore is still only 28 years old, so the potential for a fully potent rebound is there, but Sizemore’s legacy and the return on his once promising career is hanging in the balance.

David Ortiz: Boom or Bust

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:26:00 +0000

In a Shutter Island-esque turn of events few baseball analysts saw coming, David Ortiz, who spent the first month of the season cooling off the Northeast shore with wild whiffs, has found his stroke as we head towards the Midsummer Classic. Pundits are now left scratching their heads who is this guy? Hardly a question one would expect concerning a veteran entering his 14^th year of big league service. Through April, Red Sox fans and opposing fans alike were calling for Ortiz’s head as he slumped his way to a .143 average with only a solo long ball to boot. Critics worried his birth certificate is a fake and his old age was catching up to him, citing various other age discrepancies with Dominican born players. Other naysayers trudged up old Mitchell Report findings and cited harsher PED crackdowns as the root of his poor play. What a difference a month makes. Riding a .363 hitting May complemented by 10 homeruns, Big Papi has raised his average to a reasonable though not spectacular .252 with an impressive 12 HR’s on the season.While Ortiz’s first two month’s read like The Tale of Two Cities, what if any predictions can we expect from this guy for the rest of the season? Are all of his kinks finally worked out after accumulating enough at-bats to heat up? Though it’s early in June, this month’s early numbers might make Red Sox nation take pause before heading all-aboard back on the Big Papi bandwagon. Through his first 6 games of June, Ortiz has regressed to a meager .105 batting average. Like any big league hitter, Ortiz is susceptible to streaks both hot and cold. Take Phillies’ outfielder Jayson Werth for example who recently snapped an 0-21 hitless streak but endured much less criticism. Kansas City’s Jose Guillen used his hot start amass a quick 13 HRs on the year but hasn’t hit a single deep shot since May 21 and has regressed to a .247 average. Sure, David Ortiz isn’t a guy who’s going to hit 40 HR’s anymore and, despite a torrent May, you shouldn’t expect him to be, but don’t expect David Ortiz to fade into the baseball afterlife just yet.